Power of Attorney
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: Belated wishlist-fic '11. Most lawyers didn't have a battle axe in the trunk of their rental car.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Criminal Minds. Buffy belongs to Whedon, and Criminal Minds belongs to . No money made.

**Prompter:** teaandhoney

**A/N:** Slowly, so slowly, I'm gonna get these fics done. I've had this one planned for a while, but it just sort of refused to be written. Well, no time like fic-a-day. The setting for Angel is somewhere within S5, and for Criminal Minds, right after the episode, "Lucky." Also, I'm pretty sure this is my first Criminal Minds fic. I love this show, but I've been a little wary about writing for it. I'm also going from memory and internet research alone for this episode, so please forgive any tiny errors. Anyhow, please enjoy!

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**Power of Attorney**

"What do you mean, he's taking him? Who posted bail that quickly?" Hotch snapped, outraged.

Rossi shrugged. "Ferrell's lawyer said that the courts approved him being removed until the date of the trial."

Reid shook his head. "We can't just have him on the loose again. No court would've allowed bail on this man."

The three profilers stood in the middle of the Bridgewater Police Department, almost in a huddle, as the shared outrage flowed through them. But there was nothing to be done. All of the BAU team had seen the papers from the lawyer, a one Charles Gunn from the firm Wolfram & Hart. They were legal. But that still didn't mean they couldn't protest it amongst themselves.

"There he goes," Hotch said, boarding on growling.

The three men turned to watch the lawyer, a tall, thin African American who looked very athletic and way too young to be a lawyer, lead out Floyd Ferrell. The cannibalistic man seemed almost smug as Gunn tugged him out of the department by the crook of his elbow. Reid shook his head again.

"Something isn't right about this."

"Yeah, but there's nothing we can do about it. I'm sure the cops will be keeping a close eye on him, though," Rossi said. Then, turning to Hotch with a clap on the shoulder, he added, "Come on. I can't watch him leave."

The two made their way toward the back of the department, but Reid remained. He was simply frozen, watching the lawyer and Ferrell leaving the building. He knew he was right. Something was funny about all of this, about the court's approval for bail, the sudden appearance of such a high-class lawyer for a public appointed defense. He cast a wary eye back over at his team members, all of whom seemed busy trying to get their minds off the atrocity taking place. Curiosity got the better of him, and soon enough, Reid found his feet carrying him out of the building after Gunn and Ferrell.

The sun was bright, and it stunned him for a moment. He feared he had lost the two, but a slight scuffling sound coming from an alleyway on the right side of the department told him otherwise. Reid descended the small pile of stone stairs, making his way toward the noise. He had no idea what his plan was, what he intended to do or say once he caught up with the two of them. But he kept moving forward toward his destination. In a moment, he rounded the corner… and paused, gaping.

Ferrell was doubled over, as if in pain, and Gunn was moving to the trunk of his car—a rental, inexplicably parked in the alleyway. He popped the trunk as Ferrell landed on his knees, and Gunn withdrew a battle axe.

"Our firm warned you about indulging too much, Ferrell. About calling attention. You've violated your probation," Gunn said.

It was a miracle to Reid that they had not spotted him, as he was very clearly in the open. But he couldn't move, his feet seemed glued to the sidewalk as he watched Ferrell tear his skin—his _skin_—from his body. In its place, instead of the expected exposed muscles and tendons, was more flesh. But this flesh was a brightly colored purple, and it seemed as if Ferrell had doubled in height as he erected himself once more. Reid's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he took in the pointed features and short horns curling out of Ferrell's skull.

Ferrell chuckled down at his lawyer.

"And what do you intend to do about it?" he said, his voice deeper, and sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a well.

"This," Gunn said.

And he jumped, swinging the axe as he went. In one fell swoop, Reid heard the flesh slice, and watched as the head of the creature that had once been Ferrell landed on the ground with a _thud_. A splatter of greenish-black blood sprayed across Gunn and landed just inches from the tips of Reid's shoes.

"Uh," the profiler gasped.

Gunn turned toward him, shaking his head.

"Aw, man. Okay, look, I'm on a tight schedule today. So I'm gonna break this down real simple. He—" Gunn pointed at the monster's limp body, "—was a demon. Yes, real demon, as in the whole Heaven/Hell thing. He's now dead. No, you probably can't tell your team about it because they'd think you were crazy. Yes, I'm just going to tuck this axe back in my trunk and leave. Any problems with any of this?"

Reid only gaped. Should he go for his gun? Should he stop Gunn from leaving? After all, he had just murdered a man in cold blood. Or… something that had once been a man. Instead, he looked gazed up at Gunn.

"What do I say about the body?"

Gunn grinned. "Smart kid. It'll dissolve here in about another three minutes, no biggie."

"But… the trial?"

"Wolfram & Hart will provide a duplicate, a shell of a thing, to go in Ferrell's place. Don't worry. Either way you look at this, justice has been done."

And with that, Gunn loaded himself into the driver's seat of his car, cranked it, and drove out the other side of the alleyway. Reid's eyes trailed the car for just a moment before falling to the dead… demon. Gunn had been telling the truth, the body was already decaying away. Shaking his head, Reid chose to simply turn and go back toward the station.

"Weird day," he muttered.

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End Notes: Okay, so a little comedy there at the end. I sort of intended that, which might be a little dark of me if you know what followed as Part 2 of this episode. Well, hope you all enjoyed!


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